Mike and I have been planning our retirement for many years. One of our dreams was to live and travel the United States in our Motorhome. It came true the end of Dec. 2007. Mike is 64 and I'm younger. We travel with our cats Stormy, better known as Evil Kitty and Lucy a new addition in 2011. Lucy is known as the good kitty. We could not imagin living any where but in our MH. After almost 5 years on the road we enjoy it as much as when we started.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Mount Rushmore And Needles Highway

Tuesday April 20th 2010

We had nothing planned for the day just get in the car and drive. We saw the sign for Needles Highway so we went in that direction.

What a ride, according to the brochure it is one of the most scenic drives in the US, and I would say that’s pretty darn true. If it had been a sunny day it would have added to the beauty. In many areas there was still snow on the ground

Hole in the wall picnic area, still ice on the stream and some snow.

The eye of needle, and the road leading to it.

You definitely do not want to drive a large vehicle on this highway, the tunnels are very small.

No MH was going to fit in the tunnels here. Onto Mount Rushmore and more switchbacks and scenic views.

Avenue Of Flags leading to the the faces.

Gutzon Borglum sculptor of the presidents.

90% of the work on the faces was done by blasting. Borglum worked on the sculpture for fourteen years, until his death in 1941.

Crazy Horse monument was just a few miles from Mount Rushmore so we stopped for a few minutes, it was raining pretty hard when we arrived.

The monument is 641 feet long and 563 feet high, very impressive.

Crazy Horse memorial houses the Indian Museum of North America, and they have a display of beaded work that is amazing. As you all know one of my hobbies is beading, this was so nice to see some beautiful work done by the Indians many year ago.